UPDATE: Governor Scott Walker responds to AWOL Dems' comments and actions.
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The Wall Street Journal reports that the 14 AWOL Dem Wisconsin state senators may actually return from exile in Illinois and show up for work soon.
Playing a game of political chicken, Democratic senators who fled Wisconsin to stymie restrictions on public-employee unions said Sunday they planned to come back from exile soon, betting that even though their return will allow the bill to pass, the curbs are so unpopular they'll taint the state's Republican governor and legislators.
...Sen. Mark Miller said he and his fellow Democrats intend to let the full Senate vote on Gov. Scott Walker's "budget-repair" bill, which includes the proposed limits on public unions' collective bargaining rights. The bill, which had been blocked because the missing Democrats were needed for the Senate to have enough members present to consider the bill, is expected to pass the Republican-controlled chamber.
He said he thinks recent polls showing voter discontent with Mr. Walker over limits on bargaining rights have been "disastrous" for the governor and give Democrats more leverage to seek changes in a broader two-year budget bill Mr. Walker proposed Tuesday.
But Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said Sunday night that the "budget repair" bill can not be amended at this point. But it's possible that over the next few weeks adjustments could be made to Mr. Walker's broader budget plan. "This bill will pass. The collective bargaining piece has to pass. If it doesn't the governor's budget doesn't work," he said.
Mr. Miller declined to say how soon the Democratic senators, who left for Illinois on Feb. 17, would return. He said the group needed to address several issues first—including the resolution Senate Republicans passed last week that holds the Democrats in contempt and orders police to detain them when they return to Wisconsin.
"We are now looking at returning to the state capitol and requiring the senators to take a vote and have them declare who they're with — the workers or the governor," Mr. Miller said.
The AWOL Dems are playing class warfare. They're demonizing Governor Walker and the Republicans.
According to Miller, it's clear they think their tactics have worked to weaken Governor Walker and it will soon be politically safe for them to return to Wisconsin.
The local media have given so much attention to polls showing public sentiment turning against Gov. Walker. What the media don't do is draw attention to the fact that the majority of those polled don't view the AWOL Dems favorably.
The people supporting the AWOL Dems would likely support giving in to preschoolers throwing tantrums.
How can anyone think that it's acceptable for these elected officials to flee the state to avoid doing their jobs?
This is not how the process works. It's not OK for the Democrats to run away to escape their responsibilities.
Reuters reports that several of the AWOL Dems are backing off Miller's remarks to the Wall Street Journal, saying that no return is imminent.
Wisconsin Democrats who fled the state more than two weeks ago to block a vote on a Republican plan to limit public union collective bargaining said on Sunday they have no immediate plans to return.
"I think the situation has not been resolved," said Mike Browne, a spokesman for Wisconsin senate minority leader Mark Miller, while adding: "I don't think anyone has ever suggested that at some point the Democrats don't return."
Browne and several of the 14 Democrats in the senate who left the state on February 17 sought to downplay comments by Miller to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that Democrats will return to the Capitol soon for a vote on the Republican bill.
"I think he's speaking the truth that at some point - and I don't know when soon is - at some point we have to say we've done all we can," Senator Bob Jauch told Reuters.
...Miller told the Journal that moving forward with a vote on the budget repair would give Democrats more leverage in seeking changes to the 2011-13 budget the governor proposed last week.
Cullen declined comment, saying Miller didn't speak with him before making the comments, while Sen. Jon Erpenbach, who's been the lead contact with media during the standoff, said Democrats are not preparing to return.
Browne said there was nothing really new in Miller's comments and that Democrats continue trying to keep the lines of communication open.
"The bottom line is that Democrats would still like to see a reasonable negotiated settlement," Browne said.
He added: "The whole strategy by stopping a vote on the bill was to allow the public to comment on the bill."
They're coming back. They're not coming back. Whatever. They're a disgrace to our system of government.
Speaking of disgraces, here's a Facebook post by AWOL WI Dem Chris Larson commenting on the Wall Street Journal article:
Sen. Miller's comments are taken out of context in the Wall Street Journal article just released. Dems will return when collective bargaining is off the table. That could be soon based on the growing public opposition to the bill and the recall efforts against Republicans. Unfortunately, the WSJ fished for the quote they wanted, skipping this key step in logic: we won't come back until worker's rights are preserved.
Oh, what drivel!
The AWOL Democrats have to face some consequences for fleeing the state and failing to perform the duties required of them as members of the Senate.
This can't be the new normal in Wisconsin. The minority party can't run away and hide out in Illinois while thugs set up camp in the Capitol and spend weeks chanting and banging drums and vandalizing property and verbally and physically intimidating lawmakers until the majority party capitulates.
...Walker said some of the absent Democrats, who have been threatened with $100-a-day fines and the prospect of being arrested and taken to the Senate if they return to Wisconsin, appear willing to stay away "not only for several more months, but potentially the next two years."
But Miller and other Democrats say Walker's tactics will backfire on the Republicans if they are seen as extremists.
"We have been trying to get the Republicans to engage in a reasonable discussion here. On Thursday, the governor responded with a press conference to some of our discussions. That was something of a setback," Miller's spokesman Browne said.
As far as the fines and other penalties that the Republican majority has voted to impose on the absent Democrats, "those are issues that would need to be resolved in any kind of scenario moving forward," Browne said.
There is no way the AWOL Dems can just come back without facing some significant penalties.
The Republicans are not the extremists.
Governor Walker is not waging war on middle class public employees. Good grief, they are dramatically better off than middle class private sector employees.
The union workers aren't victims.
12 comments:
"How can anyone think that it's acceptable for these elected officials to flee the state to avoid doing their jobs? "
Because some of us realize that this is the only option we had to prevent the undoing of 100 years of worker progress. Do you want us to return to the days of sweat shops and child labor?
Oh, come on.
You can't be serious.
Gov. Walker's budget repair bill was NOT going to bring back sweat shops and child labor.
It's a first step. You honestly believe there's not a second and third already in the works?
I am 100% certain that Gov. Walker has no plans to bring back sweat shops and child labor.
Oh yeah, that's right. We don't need unions because we have those 1905 Civil Service Law protections. Check out this bill sponsored by (R)s in Missouri: http://www.senate.mo.gov/11info/bts_web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=4124271
I'm not sure, but this Missouri law appears to be aimed at making it easier for teens to be employed at resorts, for summer jobs when they're not in school.
That's hardly a sweat shop situation. Isn't it good for teens to work and earn money and learn to be responsible rather than hanging out all summer with nothing to do and getting in trouble?
Read the full bill text here.
It talks about children working in the "entertainment industry."
It contains protections.
For example:
[ 9.] 8. No child shall be required to work in a situation which places the
57 child in a clear and present danger to life or limb. If a child believes he or she
58 is in such a dangerous situation, after discussing the matter with his or her
59 parent, legal custodian, guardian or designated person and the employer, the
60 child shall not be required to perform in such situation, regardless of the validity
61 or reasonableness of the child's belief.
62 [ 10.] 9. No child shall be required to work with an animal which a
63 reasonable person would regard as dangerous in the same circumstances, unless
64 an animal trainer or handler qualified by training and experience is present.
65 [ 11.] 10. No child shall be required to perform a stunt without prior
66 consultation with the child, the child's parent, legal custodian or guardian and
67 the employer. The prior written consent of the child's parent, legal custodian or
68 guardian shall be obtained for the performance of any unusual physical, athletic
69 or acrobatic activity, stunts, work involving special effects or other potentially
70 hazardous activity. When any unusual physical, athletic or acrobatic activity,
71 stunts, special effects or other potentially hazardous activity involving a child is
72 to be done, the employer shall have available a person qualified to administer
73 medical assistance on an emergency basis and transportation to the nearest
74 medical facility providing emergency services. First-aid kits shall always be
75 available at a child's place of employment.
76 [ 12.] 11. No child shall work in close proximity to explosives or the
77 functioning parts of unguarded and dangerous moving equipment, aircraft or
78 vessels, or of functioning blades or propellers.
Clearly, the summary of the bill cannot be used as proof that Missouri is trying to reinstate sweat shops and abuse children.
It looks like protections are in place to prevent children from being harmed.
As to the rationale: "State Sen. Jane Cunningham says her quest to change Missouri's child labor laws is driven by her belief that the current restrictions are "implying that government can make a better decision than a parent."
http://www.stlbeacon.org/voices/blogs/political-blogs/beacon-backroom/108187-cunningham-defends-proposal-to-change-child-labor-laws
In general, I do think the parent should decide what's best for the child.
However, I think there should be child labor laws. Sadly, some children do need to be protected from their parents.
Especially in Missouri.
Just for posterity sake, let it be known that WI DID move in 2011 to roll back child labor laws, but also to impose them on the agricultural sector thus favoring corporate farming over family operations.
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